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Montgomery County, New York
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 1775 while attempting to capture Quebec City, Canada. The county seat is Fonda. History When counties were established in New York in 1683, the present Montgomery County was part of Albany County. This was an enormous county, including all of New York State north of Dutchess and Ulster counties as well as all of the present State of Vermont and, in theory, extending westward to the Pacific Ocean. This county was reduced in size on July 3, 1766 by the creation of Cumberland County and further on March 16, 1770 by the creation of Gloucester County both containing territory now in Vermont. On March 12, 1772, what was left of Albany County was split into three parts, one remaining under the name Albany County. One of the other pieces, Tryon County, contained the western portion (and thus, since no western boundary was specified, theoretically still extended west to the Pacific). The eastern boundary of Tryon County was approximately five miles west of the present city of Schenectady, and the county included the western part of the Adirondack Mountains and the area west of the West Branch of the Delaware River. The area then designated as Tryon County now includes 37 counties of New York State. The county was named for William Tryon, colonial governor of New York. In the years prior to 1776, most of the Loyalists in Tryon County fled to Canada. In 1784, following the peace treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War, the name of Tryon County was changed to honor the general, Richard Montgomery, who had captured several places in Canada and died attempting to capture the city of Quebec, replacing the name of the hated British governor. In 1789, Ontario County was split off from Montgomery. The actual area split off from Montgomery County was much larger than the present county, also including the present Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Steuben, Wyoming, Yates, and part of Schuyler and Wayne Counties. In 1791, Herkimer, Otsego, and Tioga Counties were split off from Montgomery. In 1802, portions of Clinton, Herkimer, and Montgomery Counties were combined to form St. Lawrence County. In 1816, Hamilton County was split off from Montgomery. In 1838, Fulton County was split off from Montgomery. Geography Montgomery County is located in the central part of the state, west of the city of Schenectady and northwest of Albany. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,063 km² (410 sq mi). 1,048 km² (405 sq mi) of it is land and 14 km² (6 sq mi) of it (1.34%) is water. Adjacent Counties *Fulton County - north *Saratoga County - east *Schenectady County - east *Schoharie County - south *Otsego County - southwest *Herkimer County - west The Erie Canal Runs through Montgomery County parallel to the NYS Thruway. The original canal ran through several towns and village during the height of the canal days. After the railroad was built the old canal was filled up and then moved along the whole length of the Mohawk River to keep up with competition. The NYS Thruway was then added along the same route and today the Erie Canal and its lock system is used primarily for recreational use among locals and tourists. At the time of its construction, Montgomery County was the only place in the nation where the canal was able to be built due to the break in the Appalacian Mountains called 'The Noses' also known as 'the gateway to the West'. Demographics As of the census² of 2000, there were 49,708 people, 20,038 households, and 13,104 families residing in the county. The population density was 47/km² (123/sq mi). There were 22,522 housing units at an average density of 21/km² (56/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 94.87% White, 1.15% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.92% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.91% of the population. There were 20,038 households out of which 29.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.00% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.60% were non-families. 29.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.98. In the county the population was spread out with 24.50% under the age of 18, 7.20% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 22.90% from 45 to 64, and 19.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.90 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,128, and the median income for a family was $40,688. Males had a median income of $30,818 versus $23,359 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,005. About 9.00% of families and 12.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.80% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over. Cities and towns *Ames (village) *Amsterdam (city) *Amsterdam (town) *Canajoharie (town) *Canajoharie (village) *Charleston (town) *Florida (town) *Fonda (village) *Fort Johnson (village) *Fort Plain (village) *Fultonville (village) *Glen (town) *Hagaman (village) *Minden (town) *Mohawk (town) *Nelliston (village) *Palatine Bridge (village) *Palatine (town) *Root (town) *St. Johnsville (town) *St. Johnsville (village) : Labels in parentheses are official designations. External links * Montgomery County, NY * * Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce tourism information * Summary history of Montgomery County Category:Montgomery County, New York